Dominic Hardie wants to coach. His players want him to coach. Their parents want him to coach.

The NCAA doesn’t.

It says Hardie can’t coach because he’s an ex-con. You can understand the concern, but it rejects the fundamental belief that a person can change.

By all accounts, Hardie has.

“I just want to keep coaching this beautiful game,” he said, “and teaching kids from all walks of life to believe in themselves and not to quit.”

In that spirit, the AAU coach from Houston is fighting back. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a motion Thursday that would allow Hardie coach in the MSMN Western Tournament this July.

That’s an NCAA-certified event in San Diego where college coaches scout for talent. Hardie’s lawyers say the NCAA policy violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act because it has a disparate impact on African-Americans.

Whether or not it does, it’s definitely arbitrary, capricious and downright dumb.

Hardie was convicted of possession of less than a gram of cocaine in 2000. He makes no excuses for that, though the overall story is familiar.

He grew up in a rough part of Port Arthur, Texas. Basketball was his way out, and he led Lincoln High to the 1995 state 4A title. NBA star Stephen Jackson was on the team, but Hardie was MVP of the championship game.

He bounced from the University of Houston to junior college to North Texas, then played briefly in Europe. With his playing career spent, Hardie ended up back home without much of a plan.

He fell in with a bad crowd, got busted and served probation. Somewhere in there, he decided not to waste his life.

Hardie became a social worker and helped start Triple D Hoops with former Providence star Monika Roberts. It’s an organization that promotes responsibility and discipline in youth. The teaching tool is basketball, where its girls team plays the AAU circuit.

Hardie has helped college coaches spot girls who otherwise would never have gotten out of Port Arthur. All was going well, then he tried to sign up for the San Diego tournament.

It’s a “Certified NCAA Viewing Period Tournament,” where coaches descend with scholarships in mind. Hardie was informed he couldn’t be there.

It’s not as if he was seeking a second chance. He’d already been given one and proved his redemption. When he sued, the NCAA released a statement from Bob Williams, vice president of communications.

“We continue to believe convicted felons should not have access to youth at events where NCAA coaches are participating.”

Continue to believe?

Until 2011, people convicted of non-violent crimes were allowed to coach at NCAA-affiliated events. The only stipulation was a seven-year waiting period after conviction.

I asked the NCAA what prompted the change. It regurgitated the same statement from Williams.

“As far as I can tell, there was no problem,” Dolkart said. “There was no incident. They simply changed their policy.”

A lot of corporations have different policies. Wal-Mart, General Mills, Apple, General Electric, PepsiCo hire ex-felons. So does Toys “R” Us, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, if you want to worry about your kids.

For all we know, the NCAA might even hire ex-felons. I asked what its hiring policy was but received no response. I do know the NCAA doesn’t mind when member institutions recruit ex-felons for their sports teams.

It also doesn’t mind associating with ex-felons. Nevin Shapiro is the notorious booster behind the latest Miami scandal. He’s currently doing 20 years in federal prison for racketeering and money laundering.

The NCAA paid Shapiro’s lawyer to get classified information it otherwise couldn't have obtained in its investigation.

But hey, we all make mistakes. Right?

“Young people do stupid things,” Dr. Harold Adams said. “If they’re punished the rest of their lives, where’s the lesson in that?”

Adams is an anesthesiologist in Houston. His daughter, Ryane, has been a member of Triple D for three years. She's not even 5 feet tall, but she never backs down from anyone.

“For some reason, Dominic gets it out of her,” Adams said. “He has a way with those kids. He’s in the right profession, and he loves it.”

Adams didn’t even know Hardie had a criminal record until last year. He was surprised but not alarmed. Adams had been to far too many games for that.

He’d seen how Hardie and Roberts relate to the girls. She’s the taskmaster; he’s the motivator. She barks the orders; he provides the enthusiasm.

They were ready to take their act to San Diego. It’ll be where players need to be at their best.

“You take him off that bench and it’s a different team,” Adams said. “It’s like you’re missing your right arm.”